Chapter 263: Chapter 175: The Inside Story
Although Paige Summers’ Combat Power was high, she knew it was impossible to clear out all the Zombies with just one or two people.
Even if they were all Low-level Zombies, the sheer numbers meant you could hack away until your hand cramped and still not be done.
What’s more, some Zombies with special abilities were mixed in—speed types, strength types...
As Paige Summers weaved through the Zombie horde, she felt a little awkward.
After all, her own superpower happened to include both of those abilities.
Of course, an Eighth Rank superpower was beyond comparison to these lightweight, bantamweight, or even middleweight Zombies. It would take a heavyweight, someone like Ben, to even be considered an opponent.
So, as the rescue party followed the planned route and moved farther away from the Zombie horde, she decisively and skillfully gave Ben the signal to retreat.
After taking a wide detour and dispatching two speed-type Zombies that had been relentlessly pursuing her, the two of them finally rejoined the team.
Sure enough, the person who came forward to speak with Claire Chapman on behalf of the rescued party was that young woman.
Through the circle of concerned teammates, Paige Summers discreetly sized the woman up.
The woman was about twenty-five or twenty-six, stood over 1.7 meters tall, and was quite pretty. Her long, wavy hair was tied back, giving her a very alluring look.
Most importantly, she had an enchanting figure. Her magnificent bust, which stood out even through her loose-fitting combat uniform, made Paige Summers’s gaze linger for a moment. Combined with a narrow waist and shapely rear, her physique alone screamed mature, dominant woman.
’Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem all that bright,’ Paige Summers wondered. ’Could what those idiots say about "all chest, no brain" actually be true? Ugh, fine, I’m definitely not making excuses for my own barely-a-C-cup chest!’
"Vice-Captain Sterling!"
Just as her thoughts began to wander, the woman suddenly stood up and walked over to greet her.
Paige Summers nodded. "That’s me."
Now that she was this close, Paige was certain of one more thing.
The woman’s skin, her eyes, everything about her proved that she lived a comfortable life. If not exactly pampered, she had at least never known true hardship.
"I’m May Joyce, a Superpower User from Southreach. Thank you so much for helping us out, Bloodfall Hunters! If it weren’t for you, we would’ve all died here!" As she spoke, May Joyce leaned in enthusiastically.
It looked like she was about to put an arm around Paige’s shoulders. Paige instinctively dodged, bumping right into Ben.
Sensing trouble, Ben immediately went on high alert, pushing Paige behind him as he squared off against May Joyce.
His vacant stare made her shiver, and all her previous enthusiasm vanished without a trace.
"Heh, hehe... sorry, sorry! I meant no harm, I just wanted to be a bit friendly with Vice-Captain Sterling."
Unfortunately, Ben didn’t react to her attempt at friendliness and continued to stare her down, leaving May Joyce utterly mortified.
Paige Summers shot her a look before stepping forward to soothe Ben.
Only after Ben understood there was no danger and obediently went off to the side to rest did May Joyce let out a huge sigh of relief. "Is... is that your man? He’s terrifying!" ’It’s like she’s keeping a wild beast for a pet!’ she griped internally. ’This woman might be strong, but her taste in men is atrocious!’
Paige Summers watched her with a faint smile, noting the dismissive look in her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several of May Joyce’s nearby teammates cringing as if they couldn’t bear to watch. Paige spoke coolly, "I don’t find him terrifying. In this world, being able to kill Zombies and protect your teammates is what matters most. If you can’t do that, you’d be better off cowering in the city."
As soon as she said this, the expressions on some of May Joyce’s subordinates turned grim.
It was true.
Some of the teammates they’d just been fighting alongside had already perished in the Zombie horde.
They had lost eighteen Superpower Users in this one battle.
Even if they weren’t particularly close, a sense of shared sorrow still left a bitter taste in their mouths.
In truth, Paige Summers hadn’t been targeting them.
She had always believed that the captain was the soul of a Hunting Party.
And their failure this time was clearly the result of a massive error in judgment from their captain, May Joyce.
Paige already had a low opinion of her capabilities, and her dismissive, critical attitude toward Ben only made it worse. The woman had apparently forgotten that Ben was one of the people who had just saved her.
She was furious, which was why she couldn’t resist the sarcastic jab.
Ever since the earring was fully activated, the Jade Pendant Mark had stopped absorbing goodwill energy. This meant she could no longer rely on the mark to distinguish whether people bore her goodwill or malice.
But even if May Joyce was genuinely grateful to her, Paige would not tolerate her disrespect toward Ben.
To Paige’s utter exasperation, May Joyce seemed completely oblivious to the jab. For a moment, she even looked confused. At least she could tell from Paige’s attitude that she wasn’t being friendly, so she scrambled to patch things up. "Hey, don’t be mad, I was just kidding. When it comes to men, you should pick who you like, of course. High combat power is great! Makes you feel really secure!"
’We’re not close enough to be joking around, and don’t think I can’t hear how half-hearted you’re being...’ Paige found the woman so infuriating she was at a loss for words. After staring fixedly at May Joyce for a moment, she snapped her head toward Claire Chapman, who stood a few steps away with his eyes downcast, lost in thought. She enunciated each word clearly. "Cap-tain! May. I. Rest. Now?"
At that point, a few of May Joyce’s own subordinates couldn’t take it anymore. They finally pushed one of their own forward to drag her away under the pretext of discussing business.
Following Paige over to one side, Claire Chapman chuckled. "All right, don’t be angry. I admit, I’m also surprised a woman like her exists, but she probably doesn’t mean any harm. She’s just..." He pointed to his temple. "Not all there."
Paige Summers shrugged.
"I can see that. Her IQ and EQ are lower than Erin Quinn’s, and Erin’s not even half her age. I’m not going to waste my energy being angry. But with a captain like her, are you sure we can really team up?"
Claire Chapman’s smile suddenly became profound. "A captain like her is precisely why it’ll be *easier* to work together."
"You mean..."
"Mhm. I can take command without any trouble. Isn’t that perfect?"
"And the others on her team won’t have a problem with that?"
"As long as we actually get the supplies and they get their fair cut, they won’t object. Not unless they have a death wish."
Paige Summers nodded. "That’s true. But I’m still curious. Their team is reasonably strong, so how did they end up with a captain like her? It can’t have been voluntary, right? Did you find out the real story?"
"Of course." Claire Chapman raised an eyebrow. "They’re a tight-lipped bunch. Wouldn’t say anything except that they’re a Hunting Party from Southreach. But, thanks to you, I still found out."
Paige Summers was surprised. "Thanks to me?"
"Yep. You’d never guess, but as soon as they came over, Liam recognized her. May Joyce is the younger sister of Leo Joyce, the City Lord of Southreach."
Paige’s eyes widened in understanding.
Marcus Monroe had sent Liam to protect her, and Liam had been with him back in Southreach. It was only natural that he would have seen May Joyce before.
"That truth is even more ridiculous."
"How so?"
Paige Summers sighed. "I heard Leo Joyce is a prudent and steady leader. Not only does he manage Southreach with an iron fist, but he also maintains a good relationship with Central City... It’s a shame he still can’t escape that old pattern."
"Pattern?" Claire Chapman’s interest was piqued.
"Every brilliant person seems to be stuck with one or two idiotic teammates!"
Claire Chapman froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "Good point, good point," he said.
After a bit of banter, they got down to business.
Regarding May Joyce’s team, Liam said he didn’t recognize most of the Superpower Users. Only a few looked familiar, and they definitely weren’t part of Leo Joyce’s inner circle.
That was an interesting piece of information.
Claire Chapman saw two main possibilities.
One: Leo Joyce was ready to be rid of his useless-teammate of a sister. May Joyce’s power wasn’t outstanding, and she had zero command experience. For her to recklessly lead a team out of the city on such a high-difficulty mission... he would never have agreed to it unless he was intentionally sending her to her death.
But rumor had it that because of the large age gap between them, he’d always doted on his youngest sister, raising her more like a daughter.
So, he considered that possibility unlikely.
That left the other possibility: May Joyce had recruited her own people and snuck out of the city.
For whatever reason, she decided to go out and make a name for herself. She heard The Foundry was a lucrative target, and so here she was.
As for the people who followed her... she could pay well, and her identity was no secret. If they succeeded, they wouldn’t just get paid—they’d also get on the City Lord’s good side. It was a win-win.
They probably just didn’t expect May Joyce to be so incompetent. Assuming the sister was like the brother was a huge mistake. Following her here was practically a suicide mission.
When Claire Chapman finished, Paige Summers was silent for a long time.
The second theory sounded more plausible, but some of the details still didn’t add up.
’A hundred or so Superpower Users... if May Joyce recruited them herself, it would have caused quite a stir. How could Leo Joyce, as City Lord, not have noticed anything? Besides, Claire Chapman said May Joyce admitted it was her idea to charge the main gate. But what about the others? A hundred people... they can’t all be as inexperienced as her, right? Wouldn’t they know what a decision like that meant? They wouldn’t have agreed so easily, not with their own lives on the line. Could they really have just underestimated the enemy?’
She shook her head to herself.
If she hadn’t known this, she probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But the deeper she considered it, the stranger the whole affair seemed. If there were people with ulterior motives on that team, who could guarantee they wouldn’t cause trouble at a critical moment?
’But if we don’t team up... they definitely won’t just pack up and leave.’
May Joyce’s attitude made that clear enough.
She didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation despite her dead teammates; on the contrary, she acted as if nothing was wrong. She wasn’t the type to back down.
Paige voiced her concerns, concluding, "Think again about teaming up. If we have to do it, we need to set some ground rules. In any case, we should plan for the worst-case scenario."
"Got it. I’ll give it more thought." Claire Chapman paused and glanced at the sky. "It’s getting late, and everyone’s exhausted. I’ll tell them to pull back for now so we can find a place to make camp. We can sort everything else out in the morning."
